Windshield cleaner



E. c. HORTON WINDSHIELD CLEANER FeB. 7,1939.

' Filed Apfil 26, 1935 I INVENTKHDR firmn 610M022 MV 'ATTORNEYS mission unit.

Patented: Feb. 7, 193s t I j 4- 2,146,215

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE wmnsmann drama Erwin c. Horton, Hamburg, n. Y., assignor to Trico Products Corporation, Bnfl'alo, N. Y., a corporation Application sol-u 2c, 1935, Serial No. 18,477 i H 3 Claims. (01. 15-255) "his invention relatesto amotor vehicle con- I and i2 defining an itermediate pocket ii for restruction and has primary relation to the embodiceiving the intermediate gear ,5. The stub shaft ment of the windshield cleaner mechanism in the I! may be carried by one of the extensions and body construction. supported by the other to provide journal sup- In the present day motor vehicles, the windport for the gear 5. The gearB is fixed on the l V shield cleaner is frequently mounted at the base wiper actuating shaft II, the latter being disposed or adjacent the base of the windshield and the substantially perpendicular to the plane of the latter is disposed in a slanting position so as to windshield glass and extends from the housing preserve the stream line design of the vehicle section 1 for connection to the wiper carrying arm body. The wiper actuating shaft is customarily l8. 10 disposed substantially at a normal to the wind- The drive gear 4 is fixed on the drive shaft l'l shield so as to provide the required uniform preswhich is Journaled in the housing section 8 and sure in the wiping contact of the wiper as it is osextends therefrom for connection, as through the cillated back and forth across the glass. By reaflexible shafting l8 which includes one or more son of the slanting disposition of the windshield. flexible J i t h Of Power. Herein 1 and consequently the inclined mounting of the this source is illustrated as consisting of a motor wiper actuating shaft, it has been difficult to prowhich is conveniently disposed on the forvide a practical drive from a motor, or other ward side of the dash 2| beneath the engine hood source of power, beneath the cowl. 22. This position of the motor serves to eliminate The present invention has for its object to pronoise incidental to the operation thereof. Obvi-' l0 vide a practical windshield cleaner installation ously the motor could be connected directly to for the motor vehicles which will be satisfactory the drive shaft l8 which is disposed in a suband eiilcient in use and one which will readily stantially horizontal position beneath the cowl. adaptv itself to the modern'stream line designs of Because of the slanting disposition of the windmotor vehicles. Furthermore, the invention comshield, the wiper actuating shaft ill will be disis prehends a.durable construction which is easily posed at an angle to the drive shaft l1 but-may and readily installed. be disposed in the same vertical plane therewith.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 isafragmentary sectional For this reason; intermediate gear 5 and the view of a motor vehicle incorporating one embodidriven gear 6 are shown displaced ensularly therement of the improved windshield cleaner installafrom and from each other, and-likewise the gear' tion. pockets. I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the By'sectionalizing the intermediate housing or power transmission unit. pocket in the manner above set forth, the trans- Fig. 3 is a front elevation of such power transmission may readily be a em y mply drop- Q ping the gears l-and 6 in their respective pockets '5 Fig. 4 is a detailed section through the flexible and then pressing the shafts through their bearshafting. ings, in their. sides of the pockets, and into the Referring more particularly to the drawing, the respective gears with a flrm fit. The two die numeral l designates the slanting windshield of cast sections are then assembled with the intera motor vehicle and 2 the cowl or apron strucmediate gear in place and the entirety made seture thereof extending forwardly from the base cure with bolts 23 which unite the sections of of the windshield. Adjacent the base of the windthe housing together. This composite transmisshield, the cowl is provided with an opening 3'. sion housing provides intercommunicating gear through which extends the cleaner drive and in chambers through which a contained lubricant which is disposed the power transmission unit may work in an etlicient manner. The drive shaft of the windshield cleaner mechanism. ii'is preferably short to facilitate the introduc- This transmission unit is herein illustrated as tion of the transmission housing" downwardly comprising a drive gear I, a driven gear I and through the cowl opening, subsequent to which an intermediate connecting gear 5. These gears the connection with the drive motor may be esare housed and contained within a transmission tablished. The upper housing. section I, is pro- 10 housing which is depicted as being composed of vided with a mounting flange 24 for seating on the two complemental castings l and l, each promarginal portions-of the cowl about the opening vided with a gear pocket (8 and Iii) and an ex- I, a weather proofing gasket or packing member tension which overlaps the extension of the com- 25 being interposed between such parts. panion casting or section, the two extensions II The present construction enables the mount- I ing of the drive shaft 11 in a'substantially horizontal position beneath the cow'l but nevertheless permits the angular disposition of the wiper actuating shaft so as to mount it at a normal to the windshield glass.

What is claimed is:

1. In a motor vehicle having a windshield and a cowl body portion extending therefrom and provided with an opening. a windshield wiper operating mechanism comprising a shaft, a housing supported on the cowl over the opening therein and serving as a Journal support for-the shaft, power means arranged within the vehicle and spaced from the cowl opening for driving the shaft, said housing having a depending "section removable from beneath the cowl portion and acting to support a second shaft having its axis extending substantially transverse of the depending section, flexible transmission means extending in a direction substantially lengthwise of and connecting a projecting end from the second shaft to the power means and flexing to permit removal of the housing section, and transmission means within the housing operatively connecting the two shafts.

2. In a motor vehicle having a windshield and a cowl body portion extending therefrom and provided with an opening, windshield wiper operating mechanism comprising a shaft, a housing supported onthe cowl over the opening therein and serving as a journal support for the shaft, power means arranged within the vehicle for driving the shaft, said housing having a section removable y from beneath the cowl portion and acting to support a second shaft, transmission means connecting the power means to the second shaft and permitting displacement of the housing from that section of the housing supporting the second shaft, and means within the housing operati'vely connecting the two shafts.

3. In a motor vehicle having a windshield and a cowl body portion extending therefrom and formed with an opening, windshield wiper operating mechanism comprising a shaft, a housing mounted on the cowl over the opening therein and supporting the shaft thereabove substantially normal to the windshield, said housing being removable from above the cowl and having a shaft supporting part extending through the opening and supporting a second shaft beneath the cowl portion in divergent relation to the first shaft, said shaft supporting part being dlsplaceable beneath such cowl portion, means within the housing operatively connecting the two shafts and permiting such displacement of the shaft supporting part, and power means for operating the second shaft.

mwm c. HORTON. 

